hardmultiple choiceObjective-mapped

A government agency has extremely sensitive classified data that must be protected even from Microsoft. They require a solution where the encryption keys are stored and managed on-premises within their own hardware security module (HSM), ensuring that Microsoft cannot decrypt their data. Which Microsoft Purview solution should they implement?

Question 1hardmultiple choice
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A government agency has extremely sensitive classified data that must be protected even from Microsoft. They require a solution where the encryption keys are stored and managed on-premises within their own hardware security module (HSM), ensuring that Microsoft cannot decrypt their data. Which Microsoft Purview solution should they implement?

Answer choices

Why each option matters

Good practice is not just finding the correct option. The wrong answers often show the exact trap the exam wants you to fall into.

A

Best answer

Microsoft Purview Customer Key

Correct. Customer Key allows the customer to hold their own encryption keys, ensuring Microsoft cannot decrypt the data.

B

Distractor review

Microsoft Purview Data Lifecycle Management

Data Lifecycle Management manages retention and deletion policies, not encryption key ownership.

C

Distractor review

Microsoft Purview Information Protection

Information Protection applies labels and encryption using Microsoft-managed keys unless Customer Key is used; it does not by itself prevent Microsoft from accessing keys.

D

Distractor review

Microsoft Purview Communication Compliance

Communication Compliance monitors communications for policy violations, not encryption key management.

Common exam trap

Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword

Many certification questions include familiar terms but test a specific constraint. Read the exact wording before choosing an answer that is generally true but wrong for this case.

Technical deep dive

How to think about this question

This question should be treated as a scenario, not a definition check. Identify the problem, the constraint and the best action. Then compare each option against those facts.

KKey Concepts to Remember

  • Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
  • Find the constraint that changes the correct option.
  • Eliminate answers that are true in general but not in this case.
  • Use explanations to understand the rule behind the answer.

TExam Day Tips

  • Underline the problem statement mentally.
  • Watch for words such as best, first, most likely and least administrative effort.
  • Review why wrong options are wrong, not only why the correct option is correct.

Related practice questions

Related SC-900 practice-question pages

Use these pages to review the topic behind this question. This is how one missed question becomes focused revision.

More questions from this exam

Keep practising from the same exam bank, or move into a focused topic page if this question exposed a weak area.

Question 1

A company must retain all customer contracts for 10 years to comply with industry regulations. After 10 years, the contracts must be permanently deleted. Which Microsoft Purview solution should be used to automate this process?

Question 2

A company uses a cloud-based SaaS (Software as a Service) application for customer relationship management. According to the shared responsibility model, which security responsibility is primarily handled by the customer?

Question 3

A company runs a mix of on-premises servers and Azure virtual machines. They deploy Microsoft Defender for Endpoint on all servers. The security team wants to create custom queries to hunt for a specific attack pattern that involves a sequence of events across multiple machines, such as a PowerShell script being downloaded and then executed on several servers. They need to write their own detection rules based on advanced hunting data. Which Microsoft 365 Defender capability should they use?

Question 4

A company runs a consumer-facing e-commerce website and wants to allow customers to sign in using their existing social media accounts such as Google, Facebook, or LinkedIn. Which Microsoft Entra ID solution should they implement?

Question 5

A company has a hybrid identity environment with Active Directory synchronizing to Microsoft Entra ID. They want users to be able to reset their own on-premises passwords via the cloud SSPR portal. What is the minimum license required for this capability?

Question 6

A company uses a cloud-based Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system that is delivered as Software-as-a-Service (SaaS). According to the shared responsibility model, which security responsibility is primarily handled by the customer?

FAQ

Questions learners often ask

What does this SC-900 question test?

Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.

What is the correct answer to this question?

The correct answer is: Microsoft Purview Customer Key — Microsoft Purview Customer Key provides customers with the ability to control their own encryption keys by using a key stored in an on-premises HSM or a dedicated Azure HSM. With Customer Key, Microsoft cannot access the keys and therefore cannot decrypt the customer's data, which ensures that even Microsoft personnel cannot see the data. This solution is part of Microsoft Purview Information Protection and is often used by organizations with strict regulatory requirements.

What should I do if I get this SC-900 question wrong?

Then try more questions from the same exam bank and focus on understanding why the wrong options are tempting.

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